Digital technologies are often considered environmentally friendly – after all, emails replace paper mail, cloud storage reduces the need for filing cabinets, and video conferencing cuts down on business travel. However, the reality is quite different: data centres, networks, and hardware production consume vast amounts of energy and leave a significant carbon footprint.
Software plays a key role in this. It determines how efficiently hardware operates, how many resources are used, and how much energy is required. This is where Green Software Development comes in: its goal is to make digital technologies more sustainable and minimise energy consumption. Achieving this, however, requires not just technological innovation but also a shift in mindset – both within the industry and across society.
This blog explores why green software development is essential and which steps are necessary to create a more sustainable digital world.
March 3, 2025
Green Software Development focuses on designing software to be energy-efficient and reduce carbon emissions – from planning and programming to maintenance. Well-optimised code consumes less electricity, conserves resources, and minimises environmental impact. Every optimisation counts: even small changes in design, code, or infrastructure can significantly reduce energy consumption and contribute to a more sustainable digital future.
Software runs on servers, devices and cloud platforms, all of which require electricity. Every time we use internet-connected technology, we generate carbon emissions. These emissions are primarily produced in three key areas:
The ICT ecosystem – from streaming services to mobile networks – accounts for over 2% of global emissions. As internet traffic continues to rise rapidly, so does energy demand: between 2019 and 2022, global data traffic more than doubled, with a further 23% increase in 2023. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube are major contributors, with video content accounting for 65% of all internet traffic in 2022.
Websites are also becoming increasingly data-intensive. In 2011, an average desktop webpage was around 500 KB in size; today, it is often around 2,650 KB. Alongside visible content, countless scripts for tracking, advertising, social media integrations and AI chatbots are loaded – often with little regard for efficiency.
Every unit of data transferred consumes energy across the entire infrastructure. Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can shorten transmission distances, but they too require resources.
To manage this rising demand sustainably, developers must prioritise efficient solutions.
In 2022, global data centre electricity consumption reached up to 340 TWh – equivalent to 1–1.3% of worldwide electricity demand and around 0.3% of global carbon emissions. Most of this energy still comes from fossil fuels: in the world’s largest data centre hub (Virginia, USA), only 1% of electricity is generated sustainably.
Beyond power usage efficiency (PUE), cooling is another key environmental factor. In 2014, US data centres consumed an estimated 100 billion litres of water for cooling. Hyperscalers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have developed highly efficiency cooling and load-balancing systems to reduce resource consumption.
It’s not just the direct electricity and water consumption of a data centre that matters – the energy mix is equally important. Depending on location and time of day, the carbon intensity of the electricity grid can vary significantly. ‘Electricity Maps’ provide visual insights into the energy mix of different countries and regions:
Efficient data centres are crucial for a sustainable digital infrastructure – now is the time for targeted action.
The production of hardware components generates enormous emissions – known as embodied carbon. The manufacturing of chips, particularly energy-intensive, is largely based in regions such as Taiwan and South Korea, where fossil fuels dominate the energy mix. Additionally, the process releases highly potent greenhouse gases like sulphur hexafluoride, which is over 20,000 times more harmful to the climate than CO₂.
A sustainable approach involves extending the lifespan of devices and maximising their utilisation. In data centres, shared or public cloud models allow multiple organisations to use the same servers rather than operating underutilised private ones. The same principle applies to consumer devices: the longer a device is in use, the better its carbon footprint.
Disposing of electronic devices is another challenge. In 2022, global e-waste reached 62 million tonnes, yet only 22% was officially recycled. Improper disposal of e-waste poses significant health and environmental risks due to toxic substances like lead and mercury. It also leads to the loss of valuable resources, with economic implications – particularly for rare earth metals.
Longer usage cycles, recycling, and conscious consumption are key to reducing the ecological impact of digital devices.
Code is designed to consume as little energy as possible, using optimised algorithms to minimise unnecessary data transfers and CPU cycles.
‘Green’ data centres rely on renewable energy and schedule workloads to take advantage of periods when clean energy is most available.
Avoiding over-provisioning of storage and computing power through dynamic scaling ensures that only the necessary capacity is used.
Minimising storage and data transmission requirements reduces energy consumption.
Modular software architectures allow updates without requiring full system overhauls, conserving resources and preventing unnecessary hardware upgrades.
Geographically distributed computing reduces the energy required for long-distance data transfers, while local processing further lowers consumption.
Awareness and education
Many developers lack the knowledge of how their design and programming decisions affect energy efficiency.
Measurability
Tools for assessing software’s environmental footprint are still in development.
Cost
Initial investments in green technologies and practices can be high.
Complexity
Balancing performance, user experience and sustainability is challenging.
The ICT sector contributes significantly to global CO₂ emissions – comparable to the aviation industry in some estimates. Green software helps reduce this footprint.
Energy-efficient software lowers operating costs, particularly for businesses running large applications or data centres. Efficiency saves both money and resources.
Consumers and businesses increasingly prefer environmentally responsible providers. Green software can be a major competitive advantage.
Governments are tightening regulations on energy consumption and carbon emissions. Companies adopting green software practices will be better prepared to meet these requirements.
Sustainable software helps businesses achieve their climate goals while enhancing brand image and demonstrating commitment to global challenges like climate change.
Green software supports initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
Artificial Intelligence is now central to software development but comes with immense environmental costs. Training models like GPT-4 consumes up to 50 times more energy than its predecessor, significantly straining data centres. Even a single AI query requires multiple times the energy of a standard Google search. The computing power needed for AI development doubles approximately every 100 days.
However, AI can also support emissions reduction: projections suggest it could cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 5–10% by 2030. To balance benefits with resource consumption, developers must adopt sustainable approaches – such as reusing pre-trained models, optimising training processes and using smaller, more efficient models. At the same time, clear regulations are needed. The EU’s AI Act (2024) aims to regulate AI, assess societal impact and ensure transparency – though it currently lacks specific sustainability requirements.
Green software development is not just a trend but a necessity. With growing data volumes and increasing demand for computing power, we need to rethink how we design and implement software – from efficient coding structures to comprehensive sustainability standards.
Sustainable software benefits both the planet and businesses by reducing emissions, improving performance and lowering costs. Developers should integrate green principles at every stage – from architecture to maintenance – to create software that is both high-performing and environmentally responsible.
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